Graeme Smith has admitted that it is “weird” not having Jacques Kallis in his team for the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 tournament starting in just over a week’s time.

The South Africa captain, in Durban on Sunday with his 20/20 squad to give a clinic and sign autographs on the beachfront, said he had â€œa lot of respect” for Kallis’s contribution to the team over the years. â€œHis absence will certainly shift the team’s normal dynamic.”

With Loots Bosman unlikely to play in the tournament, after his collision with a boundary board during the tour to Zimbabwe, it would make sense for the national selectors to choose Kallis in his place, but that seems highly unlikely after South Africa’s best batsman resigned the vice-captaincy in anger after being left out.

Smith also said he was sad to lose allrounder Andrew Hall who resigned from his contract with Cricket South Africa at the weekend, apparently in response to also being left out of the squad. Smith said that Hall had not spoken to the team’s management before making the announcement, and he confessed that he had been surprised by the decision. â€œHally has his reasons and it’s for him to say what they are.

â€œHe’s always been a valuable performer for us when we’ve needed him. Perhaps he felt that he didn’t get a good run in the team. I’ll be speaking to him in the next day or two to find out.” Smith said, however, that Hall and Kallis’ omission from the squad gave young allrounders an opportunity to step up and make a big statement.Bosman’s position as opener could be taken by former Dolphins’ allrounder Gulam Bodi, who struck a half-century in his first ODI for South Africa against Zimbabwe last week.

â€œIt’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” the Titans star said on Sunday, â€œand I want to grab it.” Bodi said many people thought 20/20 was â€œhit and giggle” cricket. â€œBut they’ve got it wrong,” the aggressive left-handed opener and wrist spinner said. â€œThere’s a lot of pure cricket in the game. You’ve still got to build an innings and the key is having wickets in hand for the last four overs or so. If you slog right from the beginning you can find yourself 60-6 very quickly.” Bodi has excelled for the Titans as an opening batsman in this format and can be a devastating boundary hitter.

Smith said he was happy about the overall preparation of the team for the tournament. â€œWe had seven days in Zim, which were quite beneficial for things we had to work on. We’ve also had two days of really hard grind in the field with Jonty Rhodes, and we’ll have three more days training in Potchefstroom.”

Commenting on the type of cricket required for 22/20, Smith said: â€œIt’s almost like taking little facets of the 50-over game and putting it into 20 overs. â€œAthleticism in the field is important, and you have less time to think and make decisions.” www.pretorianews.co.za